Restaurant counter rack



Feb. 13, 1951 P. J. DUGINSKI RESTAURANT COUNTER RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 18, 1949 Pia/27a? l/ g 2525, 4;

Feb. 13, 1951 P. J. DUGINSKI RESTAURANT COUNTER RACK 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1949 Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y 2,541,467 7 RESTAURANT COUNTEKIRAQK Philip J. Dug-inski, Pittsfield, Mass.

Application February18, 1949, Serial No. 77,209

2 Claims. (01. 312-4404) on restaurant or lunch counters Where customers are served to provide a rack or holder for a napkin dispenser, menu, sugar dispenser, salt shaker and pepper shaker and by means of which said elements may be held conveniently assembled for use by a patron.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a counter rack or holder which is fastened to the counter and which is capable of readily being swung out of engagement with the upper surface thereof to enable the counter to be cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition and to facilitate cleaning of the rack or holder.

Various other objects and" advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description "of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the rack or holder in an applied position;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the same;

Figure 4 is a sectional view, partly in elevation taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the holder moved to a position to facilitate cleaning of the counter or surface on which it is normally disposed, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the novel counter rack or holder in its entirety is designated generally I and includes a substantially straight intermediate portion 8 having corresponding integral leg portions 9 which project at obtuse angles from the ends of said intermediate portion and in outwardly diverging relationship to one another. The portions 8 and 9 are of hollow or tubular construction and of rectangular cross section, as best seen in Figures 4 and 6, except for the outer end portions of the legs 9 which are preferably beveled on their inner sides as seen at III.

The intermediate portion 8 is provided at its bottom outer edge with a normally depending hinge leaf I I which is hingedly connected to said portion 8 and which is provided with openings to receive screws or other driven fastenings I2 for attaching the hinge leaf II to the back edge of a counter or similar element I3 so that the rack portions 8 and 9 may rest substantially flush on the uppersurface of the counter or ele"- ment I3, as seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4 or so that said rack portions 8 and 9 may be swung up- Wardly and backwardly on the hinge leaf II to expose the upper surface of the portion of the counter I3 on which said Iparts normally rest, as seen in Figure 5.

Each of the legs 9, nearer to but spaced from its free end is provided with a pin or post I4 having a lower end extending perpendicularly through said leg. 9, as seen in Figure 6 and which is suitably anchored thereto and which post or pin I4 extends upwardly to a point substantially above the normal level of the upper surface of the legs 9. The posts or pins I4 are preferably provided with enlargements or knobs I5 attheir upper ends.

The intermediateportion B is provided with a shield I6 which is preferably formed integral therewith or which maybe suitably secured thereto and which extends upwardly from the inner side thereof and which preferably extends substantially the entire length of said inner side, between the inner ends of the legs 9. The shield I6 has an arcuate upper edge and ends extend ing from end-to-end thereof, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

The rack or holder I including the parts 8, 9, II, I4, I5 and I6 is preferably formed of stainless steel or other durable material which may be readily maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

The'portions 8 and 9 of the rack I may be made in various sizes but are preferably of a size so that a conventional napkin dispenser I! such as is used in restraurants and lunchrooms may be positioned against the inner surface of the portion 8 and shield I6 and between the legs'9 and so that the front thereof will be spaced inwardly from the pins or posts I4, as seen in Figure l, to enable a menu I8 to be rested on the legs 9 and supported on one side by the napkin dispenser I! and on the other side thereof by the knobs I5 of the post I 4 or by a conventional shaker-type sugar dispenser I9 which is positioned between the legs 9 and on the opposite, outer side of the menu I8. There is also sufficient space between the sugar dispenser I9 and the outer portions of the legs 9 to accommodate a salt shaker 20 on one side of the dispenser I9 and a pepper shaker 2| on the 0pposite side thereof.

It will be readily obvious that the menu I8 can be readily removed from its position on the rack I thus exposing the two sides of the napkin dis 'penser I! located adjacent the legs 9 so that a napkin can be extracted in a conventional manner from either of said sides and with the dispenser ll. being held against lateral displacement relatively to the rack 1 by the legs 9. Likewise, the sugar, salt or pepper shaker may be removed from its position of Figure 1 without affectin the support of the menu l8 which will still be supported on the rack 1 between the posts [4 and napkin dispenser IT.

For the purpose of cleaning the upper surface of the counter [3, the items l1, l8, i9, 25 and 2| may be removed from the rack l and placed to one side thereof on the counter I3 after which the rack portions 8 and 9 may be swung on the hinge leaf I! in a clockwise direction from their positions of Figure 4 to or beyond their positions of Figure 5 so that the surface of the counter IS on which the portions 8 and 9 normally rest may be readily cleaned. It will be readily apparent that H the rack portions 8 and 9 may be swung clockwise from their positions of Figure 4 through an arc of substantiall 180 and may be held in any one of their intermediate positions, as forexample in the position of Figure 5, so that all parts of the rack may be readily cleaned.

The rack 1 may obviously be made in various sizes to accommodate, napkins and dispensers of different sizes and could also be utilized for retaining other items such as cream dispensers and syrup dispensers in a desired position on a counter. It will likewise be readily apparent that the rack i could be mounted on other surfaces than a counter such as a table top.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be restorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A counter rack of the character described comprising an intermediate rack portion, leg portions projecting from the ends of said intermedi= ate portion in diverging relationship to one another, said intermediate portion and leg portions being disposed in the same plane and being adapted to normally rest on the upper surface of a counter or the like and combining with the portion of the counter surface on which the rack rests to provide a three, sided frame for said surface portion, a hinge leaf pivotally connected to the outer edge of said intermediate portion and adapted to be secured to a side edge of the counter for swingably connecting the intermediate portion and legs of the rack to said edge of the counter for swinging movement in a direction upwardly' and away from the upper surface thereof, and means rising from said intermediate portion and leg portions and combining therewith for retaining a plurality of articles in a predetermined position relatively to the portion of the upper surface of the counter partially framed by the rack.

2. A rack as in claim 1, said means including pins extending upwardly from the leg portions near their outer, free ends and a shield member extending upwardly from the inner edge of said intermediate portion and between the inner ends of the legs.

PHILIP J, DUGINSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 364,025 Leonard May 31, 188'? 1,555,541 Wright Sept. 29, 1925 2,454,516 Laureyns 4 Nov. 23, 1948' 

